For many businesses, a high-powered ERP can streamline processes, increase efficiency, and strengthen the bottom line—at least in theory. In reality, some companies miss out on the opportunity to achieve greater ROI by overlooking a few fundamental truths about ERPs.

1. Implementation takes longer than usually anticipated.

2. Company buy-in and sufficient training can predict success.

3. Implementing the full range of features can make the difference between success and failure.

Can your ERP move with you into your next growth phase? Can it scale and flex as your business expands? Is your business making the most of your investment?

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What is included if I upgrade to LN or LN in the Cloud?

Here is a handy table to help answer that question.

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In LN 10.6 you can now link Sales Order (lines), Purchase Order (lines) and Contract (lines) to a Letter of Credit and process the same in accordance with the conditions stated in the linked Letter of Credit.

In addition, LN can be setup in a way that enables employees, with sufficient authorization, to approve the different types of Letters of Credit and change its status.

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You’ve got an ERP system, so everything should be real time and everyone should have access to information in real time, right? RIGHT?

Why not? Why are there spreadsheets, and separate Access databases off to the side?

Data loses value over time, so why not give everyone up to date, accurate information all the time? Take a look at those silos of information and see how you can eliminate them. Your business will benefit greatly as a result.

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When is the last time you took a hard look at your production lines?

• How are we moving product through our facility?
• Do we have work instructions / drawings available where needed?
• Do we have frequently used inventory available at the line?
• Where are the bottlenecks?
• Are processes automated, where possible?

Taking a hard look at your processes and procedures may reveal some interesting results. 

Don’t assume that everyone is doing things the same way. Some may be superstars, and others may need some mentoring. Some processes may be outdated and costing you time and money, while others are extremely efficient. One area of the business may benefit from how others operate. Take the time to review and analyze your findings. Your company may benefit greatly as a result.

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I’m not talking “Modus Operandi,” which is a fancy way to say: “what’s your plan to get stuff done”.  I’m talking about Manufacturing Optimization. 

It is all about efficiency, and by that I mean doing more with less. Less labor, less time, less materials, while still delivering a high quality product on time.

The Three Secrets to Improving your MO

1. Identify the key metrics
You need benchmark data so you know what realistic goals are, then track them and publish your performance along with a brief comment from time to time on how things are trending and how you compare with others, particularly your primary competitors. The best thing about this is that it is a system that develops a life of its own.

2. Measure it
Automatically, people start to think about improving things. Then the fun part, stuff begins to improve by itself. Once in place, the system just hums along and the benefits appear, because it has motivated people to think about it, and figure out what they can do to make it better.

3. Communicate it
So if you publish gross profit numbers, explain to people how what they do affects the numbers. Employees tend to start to modify their behavior as a result, and look more critically at whether a given purchase is even necessary.

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Misplaced inventory… this happens all the time, but it CAN be avoided.

As part of an employee’s initial training, they should be taught the importance of proper inventory handling. This training should occur even if inventory handling is not their job! Employees need to know how the actions (or lack thereof) of one individual affects the rest of the company and the system used to run your business. Proper inventory management is the responsibility of ALL employees. 

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If a particular machine in your shop breaks down a lot, and you are seeing lots of scrap on every job, maybe it is time to look at what is going on. Is there truly a problem with the machine? If so, get it fixed, or move production to another line. Maybe it is a problem with how the machine operator has been trained, or maybe it is due to poor quality materials that are being used as components on a given job. Until you dig in to find the root cause, you can’t fix the problem.  

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